Completed in 1928, the Greystone Mansion is a piece of Hollywood history. Originally given to the son of an oil tycoon, the property changed hands until it was on the National Register of Historic Places.

The American Film Institute leased the property for $1 a year from 1965 to 1982, during which time several films were shot here.

David Lynch shot scenes for Eraserhead at this location, as were scenes from the Coen Bros. fllm The Big Lebowski.

P.T. Anderson refurbished the bowling alley in the basement for the climax of the film There Will Be Blood. Interestingly, the film was a fictionalized version of Upton Sinclair's book Oil!, which is based on the life of the oil tycoon (Edward L. Doheny) who built the property.

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Chess Records was formed by two Polish immigrant brothers, Leonard and Phil Chess, in 1950. They moved to this location in 1956 and stayed here until 1965.

During that time, they recorded many influential blues and early rock and roll songs. Some of the artists that recorded here include Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and Willie Dixon. Chuck Berry recorded "Johnny B. Goode" here. The Rolling Stones recorded "2120 South Michigan Ave" here on their American tour in 1964.

Chess Records moved a couple of times before being consumed by another subsidiary in 1975. Since then, the building has been purchased and is the headquarters of Willie Dixon's Blues Heaven Foundation.

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For the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2005, writer David Foster Wallace delivered a speech on education as a tool for consciousness, empathy and compassion.

The speech at the Bailey House was later turned into a 144-page book published by Little, Brown.

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Norman Petty, along with his wife Vi and guitarist Jack Vaughn, hit it big in 1956 with the tune "Mood Indigo." The single sold half a million copies, and he used part of the proceeds to build this studio.

Petty went on to record numerous artists at the studio: Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox, Waylon Jennings, Charlie "Sugartime" Phillips, Sonny West, Carolyn Hester, Terry Noland and Buddy Holly.

Several of Buddy Holly's most famous tracks were recorded at this studio, and Petty served not only as the recording engineer, but also as Holly's manager, and ultimately the executor of Holly's unfinished work after he died unexpectedly in a plane crash.

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Philo Fransworth, the inventor of the all-electronic television, first demonstrated television at his laboratory at this address in 1927.

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